Rivalry
by Chibinaoka
Summary: {Tamers} Small hints of RyoxRuki. When Ruki and Ryo bump into each other while buying Digimon TCG, they reminisce about their past as competitors in the tournaments. But when Ruki is reminded of Renamon, Ryo offers her some comfort. Please R&R.


Disclaimers: Digimon, Digimon Tamers and all related characters belong to Akiyoshi Honda. I claim no ownership of the series or its characters; I'm simply barrowing them. No copyright violations are intended. I do own this fan fiction and I ask that you please don't archive this fan fiction without my permission.  
  
Rivalry  
By Chibinaoka  
  
Another school day had ended and the students of the small private school on the north side of town were happy to finally be outside. Ruki Makino was especially happy because the day had passed very slowly for her. The school year had just started a few weeks ago and with the beginning of the school, spring always began to make its appearance. The weather had been so nice that Ruki felt the need to be outside rather then sitting at her desk, learning what she though would never be any use to her in the future. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the falling petals seemed to dance around Ruki as she headed out of the school gate. Other students fallowed and most were walking home together with friends. But Ruki always made the trip home alone and that was how she liked it. It gave her a chance to really be alone with her thoughts. Plus not many of her classmates hung around with her so she was use to being alone at school and the small group of friends she did have attended different schools.  
  
Ruki's route from school to home made her pass by small shops. She'd on occasion stop to look at the window displays of various stores. Of course, she could never go far without seeing a picture of her mother on more then one of the windows and walls. Turning the corner, Ruki noticed a poster up in the local game store. She hadn't noticed it in the morning and her curiosity made her slow down so she could read what it said. But as soon as she read the words printed on the poster, Ruki stopped in her tracks.  
"New Digimon Trading Card Game booster packs now available!"   
Ruki read the words out loud. Seeing the word 'Digimon' printed on the glissening poster made her think of Renamon. It had only been one month since she, along with the other Digimon Tamers, had fought their battle againts the D-Reaper to save not only the Digital World but their own world as well. Images of the battle flashed in Ruki's mind. They had won but winning had come with a price. Renamon, along with the other Digimon, had returned to the Digital World and while she would not admit it out loud, Ruki missed her Digimon partner and friend. Before Ruki knew it, her hand reached out to the door's handle and she entered the store.  
  
The jingling of the door's bell made the man behind the desk look up from his newspaper. He smiled at Ruki but she didn't bother to look at him so she didn't smile back. The man behind the desk rolled his eyes before focusing them once again to his newspaper. Ruki held her bag with both hands behind her as she walked around the store, looking at the various displays. Finally she found the one she was looking for. An entire rack of Digimon Trading Card Game booster packs stood before her. The words "New!" stood out from the draw on Digimon on the cardboard display. Ruki stared at the cards, contemplating if she should buy a pack or not. Her mom had given her some money a few days ago and since she hadn't spent any yet, she could afford to buy a pack or two. Their was also the though that she use to be known as a champion of the game but she hadn't touched her cards in a long while which made her want to buy some cards even more. Memories of the multitude of tournaments she had attended popped up into her mind. She missed the trill and fun of the competition and she told herself that maybe by buying some new cards, she could get into it again. Ruki reached out to grab a pack a cards but when she did so, her hand bumped into another buyer's hand that was reaching for the same pack. Looking to her left, Ruki saw the familiar face that had reached for the cards at the same time.  
"Ryo!" She exclaimed.   
"I never though I'd bump into you in here." Ryo said, smiling at Ruki who smiled in return.  
"I was thinking of buying some new cards. Looks like you had the same idea as me." She said.  
Ryo grabbed two packs of cards and handed one to Ruki.   
"Come on, let's buy our cards and go to the park to see which ones we got."  
Ruki nodded in agreement.  
  
Ruki and Ryo were both sitting on a bench at a small park, their opened cards in their hands.  
"Looks like you got a good one." Ruki said as she leaned over to see Ryo's cards.  
"This card would defiantly come in handy the next time I battle. Do you remember all those tournaments we use to attend?"   
"How could I forget? You use to be my rival and sometimes that rivalry surpassed the games. I miss those tournaments and the exhilaration I felt during the game."  
Ryo grinned.  
"Are you sure it's the game play you miss or do you miss beating me?"  
Ruki laughed.  
"You know, that was also fun."  
Both laughed.  
  
Looking back at her cards, Ruki placed one behind the others revealing another card. The image Ruki saw made her stop instantly. She stared at the card and her heart clenched itself in her chest. Ryo had noticed that Ruki was no longer moving. He saw that her face no longer bared the happy look it once did. Ruki's grip on her cards tightened.  
"Ruki what's wrong?"  
Ryo looked at Ruki's card and understood why she had suddenly gone silent. One of the cards in Ruki's new pack was of Renamon. Ryo looked at Ruki and saw her eyes full of sadness. He could only guess that she missed Renamon and he didn't blame her. He too missed his Digimon partner. Ruki's finger traced the contour of the image of Renamon on the card.  
"I never though I'd miss anyone as much as I miss Renamon."  
Ryo placed a hand on Ruki's shoulder and gently squeezed it.  
"I'm sure you'll see Renamon again."  
Ryo said, trying to offer her some source of comfort. Ruki looked at Ryo and he saw tears in the corner of her eyes. In all the time he had known Ruki, Ryo had never seen her like this. It was the first time Ryo saw his former rival's other, more fragile side. It was that moment when Ryo realised that the rivalry he had between Ruki and himself no longer meant as much as it use too.  
"Do you really think I'll see Renamon again? That any of us we'll see our Digimon again?"  
Once Ruki was done speaking, she saw a smile appear on Ryo's face. It was a smile she had never seen on him before. His smile was gentle and sincere.   
"I know we will, Ruki. I know we will."  
Ruki blinked a few times to chase away her tears and her cheeks slightly turned red.  
"Thank you, Ryo."  
  
Ryo and Ruki both looked at each other for a few minutes. Both missed the Digimon Trading Card Game competitions they attended but most of all, they missed their Digimon partners and friends. But at least they still had each other and that made things a little easier for the both of them.  
  
The End  
  
Author's Notes: I wrote this in response to word #46 at the '15minuteficlets' community on LiveJournal. 


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